1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer-based evaluation and reporting systems and, more particularly, to a computerized parking lot pavement analysis and reporting system for minimizing the effort and cost of parking lot maintenance and repair.
2. Description of the Background
The importance of pavement management in commercial and residential markets is becoming more evident as managers are realizing that preventative maintenance can help to maximize one""s original investment in private roads, parking lots and the like. The underlying concept is that preventative measures executed at specific points can reduce the need for subsequent more expensive repairs at later periods. This is clear from the chart shown in FIG. 1 which illustrates the life cycle of a typical asphalt pavement.
The pavement condition is generally rated by PCI (a conventional pavement condition index along a scale of 0-100). Generally, repair of structural distresses followed by an overlay should occur when the PCI pavement rating drops to between 50 and 70. Otherwise, the rate of failure for repair cost increases significantly as the pavement continues to age. Thus, proper timing of the repairs will result in lower maintenance cost over the life of the pavement.
Traditional methods of pavement management in commercial and residential markets being with inspection of the condition of pavement to determine the size and shapes of surface distress features such as longitudinal cracks, transverse cracks, alligator cracks, seam cracks, potholes and the like. Typically, an engineer performs an inspection and prepares a written analysis for their client with repair options.
There have been prior efforts at standardizing the evaluation process. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,336 to Deighton shows a road pavement management tool including a set of forms to be filled out which simplify analysis of pavement conditions and recommended treatments.
More extensive efforts include U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,296 to Khattak which discloses a pavement inspection apparatus for inspecting the condition of pavement using a vehicle and two video array cameras that project downward onto the pavement. The apparatus includes distress feature analysis electronics for determining the size, shape and location of surface distress features and to evaluate such features against preset standard values to determine the severity of distress.
There is also a wealth of authority discussing the various objective approaches and models for pavement analysis. See, for instance, Witczak et al., Evaluation of the SHRP Pavement Performance Models, Proceedings 8th International Conference of the Structural Analysis of Pavements, Seattle, Wash., August, 1997; Rada et al, Airport Pavement Management: Meeting Agency Woods, ASCE Transportation ""95 Congress, San Diego, Calif., October, 1995; Schwartz et al., Joining Dynamically Segmented Infrastructure Data in Relational Database Systems, Second ASCE Congress on Computing in Civil Engineering, Atlanta, Ga., June, 1995, pp. 468-477; Smith et al., Development of the Delaware DOT Pavement Management System, Transportation Research Record, No. 1397, 1993, pp. 54-62; Schwartz, C. W., Infrastructure Condition Forecasting Using Neural Networks, ASCE Infrastructure Management- New Challenges, New Methods, Denver, June, 1993, pp. 282-284; Rada et al., Integrated Pavement Management System for Kennedy International Airport, Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 118, No. 5. September/October, 1992, pp. 666-685; Schwartz et al.,xe2x80x9cDatabase Organization for Airfield Pavement Management, Seventh Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE, Washington, D.C., May, 1991, pp. 16-24; Rada et al., Analysis of Climate Effects on the Performance of Unpaved Roads, Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 115, No. 4, July, 1989, pp, 389-410.
The foregoing authority goes so far as to suggest certain database management techniques and computer implemented models for analysis of roadways and airport runways. However, the models are loosely implemented with commercial database programs. The programs are very complex and are geared for analysis of public highways. Implementation and use requires the participation of skilled programmers.
There is one known software pavement design program called DARWin 3.0. DARWin performs a wide range of calculations including a complete life cycle cost analysis for each design alternative. The DARWin program is divided into the following four modules, each of which addresses a specific item in the overall pavement design process.
A flexible structural design module can be used to design and analyze asphalt concrete pavements.
A rigid structural design module is used to design and analyze Portland cement concrete pavements. The program directly calculates the required slab thickness based on the given design inputs.
An overlay design module allows the design of seven different overlay types.
A life cycle cost module is an analytical tool that can be used to compare alternative designs. All costs are considered in the analysis, including initial construction costs, maintenance costs, rehabilitation costs, and salvage values. The results can be output using different evaluation methods. Cash flow diagrams can be generated automatically for each project.
Unfortunately, the DARWin software is application specific and is geared for building roadway with the longest life per dollar spent. On the other hand, existing commercial roads and parking lots account for more paved area than roads. As yet, there are no known computerized analysis and reporting systems geared specifically for maintenance and repair of existing pavement, nor are there any systems designed specifically for commercial parking lot management. The only traditional way to get a completely unbiased assessment of a parking lot is to hire an engineer to evaluate the pavement and to get his hand-written report on his findings.
It would be greatly advantageous to provide a computerized user-friendly system to standardize and guide visual surveying and pavement sampling to determine existing conditions, to take the resulting data, analyze the same, and generate a comprehensive report outlining appropriate repair scenarios for the end customer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a parking lot pavement analysis system that can be implemented on an existing PC computer to provide a user-friendly way of standardizing and guiding the visual survey and pavement sampling to determine existing conditions, to take the resulting data and analyze the same, and to generate a report outlining appropriate repair scenarios for the end customer.
It is another object to enable faster data collection, input, analysis, manipulation for consideration of different repair scenarios, and engineered solutions with comprehensive cost analysis for each alternative.
It is another object to subject the collected data to an expert diagnostic system analysis to substantially reduce the requirement for expert assistance, and to eliminate guesswork from the process, and to yield consistent and repeatable results.
It is a further object to provide a standardized, easy to read, comprehensive report containing sufficient information to enable a customer to time repairs with pinpoint accuracy.
It is another object to provide a tool capable of providing value-engineered pavement solutions, including the capability to design a pavement that will last for a specified period of time.
In accordance with the above objects, an improved parking lot pavement analysis system is provided. The pavement analysis system organizes the collection of field survey data, analyzes the same, and generates a report which provides the necessary information to make the most cost-effective maintenance and repair decisions for commercial and residential parking lots. The information includes the following:
Existing Conditions
Life Cycle Cost Analysis (including current cost, future cost, and life cycle cost)
Pricing Alternatives (including engineered, value engineered and do nothing options).
Maintenance and Rehabilitation Design Options.
To accomplish the above most effectively, the pavement analysis system allows consideration of three different repair options: Engineered Repair; Value Repair; and Do Nothing. xe2x80x9cEngineered Repairxe2x80x9d is based upon repair strategies and pavement design thickness using published industry recommendations.
xe2x80x9cValue Repairxe2x80x9d represents alternative repair procedures which have been used by the private industry. The long term reliability of some of these repair methods has not been extensively studied. This option therefore offers a greater degree of risk.
The third option is to xe2x80x9cDo Nothingxe2x80x9d. This represents the condition of the pavement in the event that no repairs are performed. The present system compares the different repair scenarios for life cycle cost implications and recommends the most cost-effective type of repair for each section. This allows the user to make an informed decision about what type repairs are most appropriate for each particular situation.